


Birthdays, Backaches, and Babies

by mlepclaynos



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Birthday Party, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Jake Peralta Loves Amy Santiago, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pregnancy, Pregnant Amy Santiago, Supportive Jake Peralta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27795766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlepclaynos/pseuds/mlepclaynos
Summary: "Kevin Cozner requests your presence at Raymond’s birthday party"A disappointed groan left Amy’s mouth before she could realize, and the entire breakroom went silent, looking up from their phones that displayed the email reminder.Or the only time Amy isn't excited about visiting the captain's home.
Relationships: Jake Peralta & Amy Santiago, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 19
Kudos: 113





	Birthdays, Backaches, and Babies

**Author's Note:**

> I clearly enjoy writing supportive Jake and pregnant Amy to distract myself from work, so I am back with another fic!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> P.S. This is totally written in the middle of the night and unedited, please lmk of any errors :)

_Kevin Cozner requests your presence at Raymond’s birthday party_

A disappointed groan left Amy’s mouth before she could realize, and the entire breakroom went silent, looking up from their phones that displayed the email reminder. The entire squad looked at her with wide eyes before she understood how unbelievable her reaction seemed. However, shrugging she didn’t know what to tell anyone and instead her eyes locked with the one person who looked at her with understanding instead of shock.

Jake looked at his heavily pregnant wife, who was currently trying her best to not fidget in her seat, and he knew it wasn’t because everyone was staring at her. His jaw tightened as everyone started questioning (theorizing) what happened to her when he knew her aching back and feet, the hot flashes under her uniform, the need to use the bathroom, their son’s constant kicks, or her general fatigue was the reason she was uncomfortable in the moment. And the reason her reaction to the party invite was the opposite of what everyone else expected.

She needed to be left alone and he was going to get her out of there when she flashed him a look of desperation, her face almost resembling the time she had asked him to somehow convince Charles to find a new cologne earlier in her pregnancy. Stepping in between her and their friends, literally and figuratively, he knew just how to distract them all, taking the spotlight off Amy.

“Heyyy captain’s birthday party! Our mission; to not get kicked out again, right Terry?!”

Their superior immediately grimaced at the reminder of the disastrous night years ago and his attention was focussed towards making sure Hitchcock and Scully were going to be able to pull of another one of the captain’s parties while Rosa and Charles began to explain how well they handled themselves. Watching all their friends forgetting about Amy’s little moment, Jake turned back towards his wife extending his hand as an invitation to escape the breakroom and enjoy the last fifteen minutes of their break alone. Indulging in the PDA, grateful he had taken all the unnecessary attention away from her, Amy push herself off the chair and joined their hands. Quietly stepping away from the rest of the squad, Jake let Amy walk out before him when Terry started to approach them, wanting to warn them about following the captain’s house rules they had previously disregarded.

“We can do this team! Don’t forget the wine drink!” Jake yelled before rushing out, a wide grin on his face that had Terry mumbling to himself about his work children.

Quickly catching up to Amy, his grin turning into an appreciative smile when he saw her slowly walking towards the elevator, and that smile widening with her watching the waddle in her walk. Standing by her side, waiting for the elevator, she mouthed a thank you his way, shrinking his smile. As they made their way down to the first floor, the reason for her discomfort was obvious when her hand reached for her back aching from the weight of the seven-month baby bump she was supporting. He had less than a minute to rub her back, knowing which point were the sorest since his wife refused to be vulnerable before her subordinates.

Amy knew when he opened his mouth to talk and then closed it, he was thinking of how to ask her about the captain’s party, but she leaned closer to him in the few moments they were alone in the elevator. Savouring the relief her back got from his gentle yet effective ministration, she brushed off her annoyance regarding the email reminder they had received.

“We’ll talk about it at home. Right now, I just want some food.” His worried face now had a proud beam as they reached her work floor.

“I already have a sub, extra pickles, being delivered right now.”

“Oh did you-”

“Hot sauce and even more pickles on the side? I got you.” He pulled out her chair for her as they reached her desk before he walked away to refill her water bottle for her.

She couldn’t care less about her officers seeing her staring at her husband with an adoring smile. All the aches and exhaustion seemed just a bit more bearable when he was with her, distracting her with his jokes and at her side granting her wishes, sometimes before she could say them aloud. If only the elevator had been slower, she would have shown him how appreciative she was of him, but alas he would have to wait until they were in the privacy of their home.

~~~~~

Returning from his errand run, Jake was quiet in walking to the kitchen with his purchases in case Amy had laid down for a nap. Taking out a bottle of wine, he hoped the $40 wine was decent enough to not embarrass them in front of the captain and Kevin since it was on the “50 Best Wines under $50” article he had found on with a quick search. However, in case Amy wasn’t feeling up to attending the party, he had a grocery bag with another pint of the ice cream she was into for the last couple of weeks along with a new jar of pickles, Orangina and grapes she would end up freezing to make her favourite snack that he could not understand.

Putting all of the items away, he stepped into their living room and found his wife laying on the couch, eyes closed and on her side…her backache had clearly refused her leave her alone. Walking up to her carefully, unsure of whether she was sleeping or not, he turned off the TV. The sounds of HGTV fading away was enough to make her open her eyes slowly, realizing Jake’s presence, however she couldn’t be bothered to sit up, comfortable in the position she was in. Silently acknowledging her need to stay put, he sat down by her swollen feet, lifting them momentarily before placing them onto his lap.

“I don’t want to get dressed up.” She muttered knowing if she was sweating through comfortable outfit consisting of her tank top and his flannel, she would not have a fun time in a cocktail dress while socializing with professors and her captain.

“We can always just stay home, and I’ll talk to the captain, he’ll understand.” Jake shrugged off the matter if she wasn’t ready to go, pulling out his phone already.

She groaned, burying her head in the pillow that was permanently on their couch for her relaxation. Their baby boy was really in the mood to aggravate the aches with his strong kicks. She felt Jake’s hand on her bump, his excitement to feel their baby never fading although he knew she clenched her teeth a bit every time a strong kick came her way.

Amy sighed in a deep state of confusion, not wanting to miss out on a chance to bond with the captain and enjoy a night now, but she didn’t really know how much she would enjoy a night out at her boss’ home when she could be cuddled up next to Jake in her pajamas. Or maybe she could send him to the party on their behalf while she took up their entire bed and got a few extra hours of sleep in, but it would leave him to be answering everyone’s questions about her absence at the party and he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it himself. 

She felt her cheeks turning red and her eyes brimming with her tears when the realization came forth. She was choosing to not go to one of Captain Holt’s events because she did not want to put on a dress and some makeup. What had she become? She was pregnant, but she was still capable of doing normal things including birthday parties yet here she was, not wanting to leave her comfy couch.

“I’m being stupid. I should just suck it up and go.” She wiped a tear from her eye, another thing she found herself doing more often than she ever did while he took her free hand into his.

“You’re pregnant Ames. You’re going through so much no one on the squad can even imagine and no one expects you to put up with anything you don’t want to do. You work so hard all day and if you want to spend the evening chilling in sweatpants, watching Property Brothers and eating fudge brownie ice cream, then you deserve that more than anyone. Just say it and we won’t go to the party.”

She contemplated her options, weighing how important it was for her to go to her captain’s party against the effort it would take to get through said party. It would be so much easier to sit in the comfort of her home, but her inability to turn down invitations to events– FOMOW turned into normal FOMO as Jake would say – wouldn’t let her enjoy the evening in even if she wanted. Lazily sitting up on the couch, she tried to find a middle way, wanting the best of both worlds, while Jake sat quietly ready to pull out his blazer for the party or change into PJs for a TV marathon.

“As amazing as that plan sounds, I think we should still stop by at the party, just for a little bit to be polite. We leave quickly and we might make it home in time for a rerun of Jeopardy.”

“Whatever you like.”

Inching himself closer to her, his lips met hers for swift tender assurance on his behalf. He let his forehead rest against hers, his touch welcomed by her body as his fingers curled into hers. They had to get up and get ready, but it didn’t stop Amy. Her heightened emotions refused to let her brain control her body as she slipped her hand in its perfect spot in his hair, her fingers gliding behind his ears, pulling him closer to her. Parting her lips the slightest for him, she allowed their tongues to move in a gratifying dance as his free hand found its resting spot on her waist. Her arm snaked around his neck bringing him even closer to her if possible. A moan of his name escaping her mouth was suddenly stopped, her hand moving to his chest to stop him when a jab in abdomen brought her out of the trance he had put her in.

Backing away from her, eyes carrying concern, Jake waited for her to say something in worry he had hurt her when she was already aching everywhere a person could ache. Instead, he found himself sighing in relief when she directed his hands to the side of her stomach, he definitely felt the foot of their baby boy against the palm of his hand. The feeling never failed to make him smile and thank Amy.

She giggled softly, letting Jake keep his hand still on her bump in hopes of feeling their baby again. They waited eagerly a few minutes before they felt the consecutive thumps under his hands.

“Little Shrek’s right, we need to get ready if we’re making it to the party.”

He hesitantly moved his hand back, knowing she was right although he could have next to her all evening waiting to feel their baby’s presence. Helping her off their couch, he followed her to their closet, absentmindedly picking out a white shirt and dark grey blazer for himself while Amy stood staring at her clothes with hands on her hips. Watching him pick out a tie out of his stuffed drawer, that had her rolling her eyes, she handed him a more fitting black tie which finally had him noticing the frown on her face.

“I can’t fit into anything. I’ve become an elephant.”

She pouted like a child when she looked back at her wardrobe containing only a limited amount of maternity clothing. Jake knew this was the perfect time to bring out the gift he had bought her a few weeks earlier when he realized how little she had spent on buying herself fitting clothes, only opting to buy new pants since they were a necessity and getting by with his sweatshirts when she was at home. She had been so careful with her budgeting while setting up a nursey, he was nervous to buy her something when there was a chance she would be upset that he had spent money they could have used for their baby instead of her. Yet he knew she deserved to feel beautiful and comfortable in whatever she wore, and her old dresses would make her feel the complete opposite of what she needed.

Pulling out the giftbag from underneath his messy sock drawer – knowing it was the one place she had given up on trying to keep put together – he walked up to her with a grin she immediately recognized. He had done something he knew she wouldn’t have done.

“I texted Gina to help me with this, so I’m hoping you’ll like it. But if you don’t, that’s on Gina. But if you like it, it was my idea.”

He forwarded a black bag she knew was from a niche boutique in Brooklyn Heights, a boutique that was always out of their budget. Hesitantly she pulled out a perfectly folded – topped with a gold colored ribbon – a navy blue dress in the softest yet royalty worthy fabric she had ever touched. She stared at the dress, trying to find words to say to him, only to come up blank as her eyes filled up.

Opening up the dress, she saw the tag showing the indication the clothing belonged to brand new maternity collection, and she walked to the stand up mirror in the corner of their room. Placing the dress over her sweats, she couldn’t hide the joy of how the dress was exactly what she wanted to be wearing if she had to get out of her oversized clothes. She hated how she couldn’t stop her eyes from filling up again when she saw him looking at her through the mirror. Turning back towards him, she was still speechless and couldn’t say a word past his name.

“Jake…” She was suddenly staring her fleece socks when he placed a hand on her cheek.

“You deserve so much more than this.” A kiss to her forehead was enough for her to in throw her arms around him, getting as close to him as she could with her prominent baby bump being cradled by him.

~~~~

After receiving the beautiful dress, Amy felt like putting in the effort to dress up for this party. And half an hour later, she was touching up her red lipstick before stepping back and taking a look in the mirror. Adjusting the cloth belt that was tied into a bow above her bump, she moved her curled hair over her right shoulder and for a moment wondered why she had been so worried about attending this party. Her lips curved instantly when she heard Jake’s footsteps followed by a “wow”.

His eyes sparkled seeing her standing before him, his lips parting slightly as they curved upwards, and she immediately felt the heat rising to her cheeks. She had seen him giving her the same look, his eyes stating everything his silence couldn’t, when she was dressed in pajamas, but tonight she needed it more than ever. Running her hand over the skirt of the dress, she waited for the red-hot feeling to fade from her cheeks before she opened her hand up to him, showing her grandmother’s necklace she always wore when such occasions arose. Dutifully, he slipped on the necklace knowing exactly how low she wanted the pendant to rest and how to avoid getting her hair caught up in the chain (he learned that lesson the hard way). Clasping the hook on after his struggle to the same made her laugh, he earned a kiss on his cheek, staining his skin with the color of her lipstick. Wiping off the lipstick which was immediately replaced by his blush of a similar of a color, he followed her out of their room.

“Babe, what are you doing?” His voice was louder than they both expected when he saw her sitting on their entranceway bench, slipping on a pair of black heels.

“You know how sophisticated everyone there will be and it is the captain’s party, we should dress the part.” She shrugged, slipped on her shoes without looking at her feet, something she had become a pro at in the last month.

“People won’t care about your shoes. They’ll be too busy talking about the arts or _The New Yorker_. Just wear something comfier.” He pointed to her favourite pair of flats while putting on his own shoes.

“Look how small the heels are, it’ll be fine. Besides, remember the first party – _thank you for wearing appropriate footwear._ ” He grimaced at the weird deep tone she used before laughing at her own visible cringing at the impression.

“That was a horrible Holt impression.”

She rolled her eyes as he helped her up, not letting go of her until he was assured she was steady in the high heels, still wanting to hold her hand all night just in case she needed his support. She remained silent letting him treat her as if she was a child, not his wife carrying his child, when he grabbed her long coat and slipped her arms through it, bundling her in it as if it was still winter. Although she did know she would have done the same considering the crazy changing New York weather, she let him satisfy himself of her safety and comfort knowing this was the same man who was concerned he would not be able to be a good father. Picturing Jake with a baby who he would bundle up in the harsh New York winters had her smiling at him as they got into their car, in an attempt to get one of the limited parking spots at Holt’s house for their SUV.

~~~~

Managing to score a spot on the captain’s driveway, cutting down on how far they would have to walk, Amy went over her art history material in her head, while Jake knew he was limited to once again smiling at conversations. Jake handed Amy her allergy pill and a bottle of water to avoid a rehash of the first time they had been invited to the captain’s house, the last thing his wife needed was an allergic reaction and a trip to urgent care.

Entering the warm home, the captain stated how overjoyed he was upon seeing they were able to make it and Kevin’s expressions showed how impressed with the bottle of wine, a vast improvement from the past years. Sharing a hi-five as they put their coats in the assigned closet, he followed his wife’s lead as they navigated through the party, smiling at her stories, telling anyone who would listen how amazing she was, and forwarding the food she had her eye on whenever she glanced at the serving table.

An hour later, he forgot the rule he was told to follow, was attempting to explain Die Hard to a Greek history professor when his eyes wondered around the room attempting to find Amy. Throughout the night, she was smiling nursing a glass of sparkling cider and some fancy food he didn’t know about or busy in conversation. However this time when his eyes found her in the corner away from everyone else, he immediately excused himself away from someone asking him questions about the best movie ever.

In the corner of the room, standing alone away from the crowd, it didn’t take a lot to worry him with the hidden signs of her discomfort visible to him. Her hands white around her forearms that she was gripping onto, her eyes fixed to the ground, and as he ziplined towards her, the stoic look on her face only present when she felt like she had to be quiet as to not embarrass herself had him shielding her away from everyone else who worked with them. She didn’t need their questions. Leaning in, he whispered to let her know of his presence, he couldn’t care about how anyone would perceive him and his wife in the corner. Screw being appropriate. Amy needed some peace and quiet, so he would have to find a way to create that for her.

He knew Terry and Holt had been keeping an eye on him after the previous incident that almost had them banned from the Cozner-Holt household, but he had to break a house rule. Quietly whispering to Amy that he was going to hold her hand, he waited for her nod before leading her away from where the party was. Walking her to the guest room, ignoring the “Do Not Enter” sign clearly hanging on the door, he contemplated sneaking out of the house to avoid breaking the captain’s rules. However, seeing all the people they would have to pass while Amy seemed to be on the verge of breaking into sobs, he was ready to face the wrath of Holt and go back to being on a last name basis with Kevin. As he closed the door behind them, hating there was no lock on it and hoping no one else was foolish enough to break house rule, he turned his attention back to his wife.

“I’m sorry…there’s just so many people. It’s crowded and so hot in here like I’m sweating through this beautiful dress you bought, there’s no place to sit, my feet are killing me, and I-”

She began to ramble only to stop when she looked up at her husband whose face showed sympathy and concern as he held her shoulders only to make her lose the ounce of control she had over the drops now falling from her eyes to her cheeks. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the pity he was feeling for her as she regretted thinking she could be like those perfect women she saw, enjoying social events and having the best time of their life while pregnant. All she wanted to do was hide under a blanket and lay down next to Jake.

“I’m a mess Jake.”

She cried onto his shoulder, knowing exactly when he would wrap her into a cocooning hug. As soon as her face was hidden into his chest, she let herself cry out the pent up frustration of not being able to act like she was fine for just a few hours, be able to walk around through the pain and aches, to not embarrass herself in front of people she respected, and to let her husband enjoy an evening where he didn’t need to constantly tend to her needs. She just wanted feel like Amy again – she just wanted to be comfortable. A luxury she only had at home where Jake didn’t care what she looked like or what she was doing, instead joining her when she wanted to eat unusual food combinations or take a nap hours after she had gotten up. She just wanted to be back home, away from everyone except the man who held her in his arms.

“You’re okay Ames…”

She heard him repeating, his voice trembling as the moments passed between them. She kept worrying him and it was the last thing she wanted to do. In an attempt to calm herself, she placed her hand over his chest, the steady grounding beats of his heart could be felt under her hand, while she tried to calm her own beating heart. As her sobs turned into hiccups, his hug turned into soothing circles on her back, his words asked her to take deep breaths all the while her hand remained over the thumps of his heart, keeping him from panicking for her sake.

They didn’t know how much time they let pass, forgetting they were at their boss’ home in a room they should have stayed away from. As he led her to a chair in the corner of the room, he kneeled before her wiping off the streaks of mascara that smudged her eyes and cheeks, waiting until she was breathing normally and her cries had slowly settled down. He got up to leave the room only after asking her to give him two minutes. She closed her eyes that burned from being left dry and hid her face behind her hands, hoping no one else besides Jake would come into the room while she was alone.

She didn’t notice when he sneakily opened the door, re-entering the forbidden room until she felt a touch on her foot. Putting her hands down, she could have let out a sound he would have only recognize from their bedroom when she felt one of cursed heels being taken off her foot. Finding him on his knees, she would have cried again if her eyes weren’t out of tears, watching him remove her other high heel, replacing them with the same flats he had asked her to wear back home.

“You always say backups are important.” He chuckled as he pointed to a glass of water that was on a magazine table next to her. As she signed in relief, no longer tolerating the pain of wearing the “appropriate” footwear, she was able to return to her normal calm demeanour as she finished her water.

“Stay here or go home?” He asked, his voice with its normal playful tone as he wiped the last of her mascara from under her eyes.

“Home, please.” She lowered her eyes, knowing he was enjoying himself until she had a meltdown. Maybe she could take an Uber or drive herself home and arrange for someone to drop him off. But before she could say anything, he got up from the floor, picking up his coat he had used to hide the shoes he brought from their car.

“Whatever you want.”

Slowly getting up from the chair, she finally smiled again knowing she had been silly enough to think he would object to an evening at home or would choose a party over cuddles in bed. Joining their hands together, they quietly escaped the room, hoping no one had spotted them in the place they shouldn’t have been. They quickly wished the captain a happy birthday before saying goodbye to the squad, needing to get out of there before anyone knew they had done the one thing they vowed to never do again.

Little did they know, Raymond Holt had seen his subordinates entering his guest room and he had even silently opened the door ready to confront the two over how little they had matured over the years if they pulled this again. However, feeling as if he was the intruder in someone’s home when the once childish man he considered his son was busy comforting his pregnant wife, he had given them the privacy they needed. Standing down the hall from the room, he had made sure no one even wandered into that hallway, distracting Kevin’s colleagues with his hilarious sense of humor. He had pretended not to see Jake leaving momentarily only to return with some type of object hidden under his coat. He acted as if it wasn’t obvious that Amy was two inches shorter when they wished them farewell. But he failed to hide his faint smile when he watched Jake opening & closing the SUV door for Amy and throwing a pair of heels in the backseat before yelling “happy birthday daptain” making his wife chuckle from inside the car. They may have a distracting childish marriage, but it was like pieces of a puzzle with those two. And the captain walked back into his home, knowing he would have to start baby proofing his home soon, their child was sure to be wandering into rooms he shouldn’t be, just like his parents.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all for this one!
> 
> I might add another part later on though, let me know if anyone's interested!
> 
> And any kudos + feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
